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King Cotter's War
King Cotter's War, as it is known to the Greenlanders, or The Great Reaving of 285AA as it is known to the Ironborn, is not so much a war as it is an organized reave. King Cotter I Goodbrother had been preparing a great reaving for some time. He and his advisers had met on multiple occasions, planning and plotting the spots of their raids and reaves, coordinating when and how they would hit the Reach. King Cotter sought to reave better than Harwyn Drumm and his raids on the Shield Islands, and replace Harwyn's name with his own as the greatest reaving in recent memory. Prelude King Cotter and his advisors had been planning a great reaving for nearly five years. For the first two years, the meetings of his council were always grinding to a stalemate. Some wanted to reave the far east near Pentos and Myr. Others wanted to settle for a island raid of Lys. But King Cotter had a greater, and closer, prize in mind. King Cotter was obsessed with tales of old. Tales of King Victarion I Greyjoy's Westerlands raids two-hundred-and fifty years past. Tales of the Shield Island raids only fifty years past. On the morning of the first moon of 285AA, the council came to a unanimous decision: They would raid and reave across the entire western coast of the Reach. The very next day, the Iron Fleet was summoned. King Cotter's War The First Landings The planned landings along the Western coast happened almost unanimously and took the Reachmen by surprise. It had been nearly fifty years since the Ironborn invaded the Shield Isles. Most assumed the Shield Isle invasion was the worst that could happen. Most assumed wrong. Harlaw's Landing Lord Harlaw and his force landed far to the north of Old Oak, almost at the Westerlands border and began pushing east, raiding any and all villages in his way. Cotter's Landing King Cotter Goodbrother, his son Prince Torgon and daughter Princess Gwin, his brother Euron and his brothers eldest son Gyles and a hefty force of men landed at Old Oak and the lands surrounding it. Their raids on the villages were initially successful, but this success led to brass raids and movements towards Old Oak. Greyjoy's Sailing Greyjoy and his men did not land initially. Their job was to distract the Shield Isle navies, and that they did. After a few skirmishes, the naval force under Greyjoy's command was able to defeat the navies and push up the Mander. Drumm's Landing Drumm and his men landed at two locations: Bandallon and Blackcrown. From the initial extremely successful raids, they met together and began pushing east. The War Continued All in all, the initial landing was devastating to the Reachmen. The Ironborn reaved, raided, raped, and took whatever they wanted. The coast was all but destroyed. Harlaw's Push Lord Harlaw and his men continued to push east, and eventually made it to Red Lake where he and his men terrorized the lands of House Crane. Lord Harlaw and his men remained on the lands, surrounding Red Lake, eating Lord Crane's crops, destroying the villages and farmhouses, and taking what they pleased. To this day, the scythe is a feared sigil. Cotter's Falter While Cotter's initial push to the Old Oak lands failed, he began pushing south, away from Oakheart soldiers and towards Highgarden, raiding along the way. While Oakheart men were in pursuit, Lord Oakheart sent a raven to King Garth, alerting him of the reavers headed to Highgarden. Greyjoy's Raiding As Greyjoy and his men sailed up the Mander, they hit every village along the way. While some put up resistance, and some were manned with Gardener men and other Reachmen, Greyjoy's raids were still devastating to the villages of the Mander. Drumm's Retreat As Lord Drumm moved westward, his forces were met with a combined Hightower and Florent front. After days of skirmishes and one large decisive battle, Lord Drumm was forced to retreat to the shore where he and his men decided to return to the Isles with what loot they had in hand. Cotter's Retreat With the reave coming to an end, Lord Harlaw was pushed back by a combined Rowan, Roxton, Webber, and Osgrey force. King Cotter was forced to retreat after an attack led by King Garth. In the attack, Euron Goodbrother, Cotter's brother, engaged King Garth in a duel to allow Cotter and the others time to retreat. While the duel was a stalemate, Euron was struck by Garth on his forehead, giving him a scar that ran from his hairline to his cheek. Lord Greyjoy and his men were attacked by Highgarden's fleet, and as they were retreating out of the Mander, Hightower and Redwyne fleets chased them back to the Iron Isles. The Grand Feast of 285AA Upon the Iron Fleet's return to the Isles, a grand celebration and feast was held by King Cotter for a week straight. The halls of Hammerhorn were filled to the brim with celebration, mourning, feasting, and treasures. While this marked the end of the reaving, it also marked the continuation of an age-old tradition.Category:War Category:Battles Category:Kingdom of the Reach Category:Kingdom of the Iron Islands